Content-Area Unit Plan Allison Fitzpatrick Walden University Marie Larcara EDUC-6713D-2 Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas August 6, 2010 Unit Plan Assignment: Problem-Based Learning Lesson As an educator it is my job to find new ways to actively engage my students in the learning process. This week I will be developing a Problem Based Learning unit. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a great tool for teachers and students to use. PBL allows for the students to be an active part of the learning process. It gives students the chance to make the content being taught something more then words on a paper. It facilitates cooperative learning among students and allows for each participant to take an active roll in what is being presented and learned. Students will be given a real world issue to collaboratively explore and solve using a higher order of thinking. Grade Level and Subject Area to be addressed 8th grade Food and Nutrition Class Objective For students to answer the question: “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?” Standards Standard 1: Personal Health and Fitness “Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health” (New York Teacher’s Desk Reference). NETS*T Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Problem Using the PBL approach students will answer the question, “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese people in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual, and what can be done to change this fact?” Steps of the Lesson Students will have viewed the films “Super Size Me” and “Food Inc.” After both films have been viewed students will be placed in PBL groups and asked to start exploring the above questions. Students will first start by brainstorming their thoughts as a group. Students will be using the program Inspiration to organize their thoughts and to create a concept map. Once the PBL groups have completed their concept map students will then move on to completing the WebQuest designed for this lesson. Once they have completed their WebQuest students will be asked to create a draft of problem they are trying to solve. Students will have the freedom to do this in anyway as long as they are somehow showing a solution and opinion to the problem presented. Student will then present their thoughts and ideas to the other groups so they are able to get feedback and make improvement. Students will then have the opportunity to refine their solution and their answer to the problem. When each of the above steps have been completed, each group will post their findings to a class Wiki. This is relevant for all students because one in three teenagers are overweight or obese. Each student will undoubtedly know someone who struggles with weight issues. Knowing this, and having to teach students about nutrition, I find that having students complete PBL lessons will leave students with a greater understanding Technology Students will be using many different types of technology when completing the PBL lesson. Students will be using the program Inspiration. Students will also be using the Internet to complete a WebQuest from this lesson. Students will have several options on a way to present the information they have found. They could create a PowerPoint, make a brochure or make a story board. They will be free to choose. The final way that technology will be used is for students to post their solutions and findings to a class Wiki page. Diverse Learners For students who may struggle greatly using technology, they will have the option to complete as much as they can on paper. Diverse Learners will also receive extended time to complete the given assignments and tasks. Assessment of Learning Students will be assessed by using a PBL rubric. Each part of the lesson will be contained on the rubric. There will be a section for the concept map, the WebQuest, the draft they made and finally the completion of the Wiki page. A portion of the rubric will also be how well each student worked with other members of their group. Using Problem Based Learning as a way to teach nutrition and healthy living gives students the control in learning. It allows for students to take an active approach in their learning. “The application of problem-based learning to more global health issues supports the development and demonstration of higher-order thinking skills” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer. p.319). The problem being looked at is one that all students can relate to. My hope in presenting this topic in a problem based way, is that I can show students that they must take an active approach and find out what they are actually eating and where it comes from and this will help them in the food choices they and their families make. Unit Plan Assignment: Online Collaboration Lesson The use of social networking tools in today’s classroom is an area that many educators are wary of using. As an educator I pride myself on using social networking tools as a way for my students to reach out to their peers. Using online collaboration teaches students teamwork and breaks all cultural barriers. The following lesson has students using social networking to help them develop answer the question given to them in the pervious lesson. Grade Level and Subject Area to be addressed 8th grade Food and Nutrition Class Objective For students to discuss the question: “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?” Standards Standard 1: Personal Health and Fitness “Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health” (New York Teacher’s Desk Reference). NETS*T Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Description of the Lesson During the previous week of class students were asked to find an answer to the question “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?” For this lesson students will be asked to take that question, make a blog and promote it using social networking tools. Steps of the Lesson 1. Students will create a blog using the website blogger.com 2. Students will start by posting the question “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?” 3. Students must write a minimum of a 150-word blog stating their opinion to the question. Students must also have 2 sources supporting their opinion. 4. Students will send the link to their blog to the teachers e-mail 5. Students must actively promote their blog. Students can use their facebook page, myspace page or text messaging. 6. Students need to respond to at least 5 of the blog posts that people have posted on their page. 7. For the end of the lesson students must post a final blog. They must state if their opinion has changed due to what their fellow bloggers have posted. 8. Students must send the link of their blog to the teachers e-mail. Use of Social Networking Students will be using blogging as their first form of social networking. Students will also be using their facebook and myspace pages to promote peers going to their blog site. Student may also use their cell phone to call or text people to promote their blog. Diverse Learners To customize this lesson for diverse learners students may type their blog posts using a Word document in order to make sure that spelling is correct. Students may also have extended time if needed in order to complete their blog. If needed students will have access to computer devices like adapted keyboards, mince or text-to-speech software. Creative Thinking To implement creative thinking in the lesson students will be asked to infer what they think the opinions will consist of on their blog. “Creative thinkers are able to examine ideas from various perspective, make inferences, and elaborate on their thinking” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 25). Students will engage in a class debate as a way of expressing their opinions and those posted on the blog they created. Assessment of Learning Students will be assessed using an analytic rubric An analytic rubric breaks the assessment down into component categories” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. P. 155). Students will be graded on components such as completing blog posts on time, spelling and grammar. Students will also be graded on promotion of the blog using social networking tools. Management of Activity Students will send the teacher the link to their blog on specified dates. Students will meet with the teacher to express any comments or concerns about their blog. Online collaboration and social networking is a tool that all teachers need to start incorporating into their classroom. It is way that brings creative thinking and also utilizes technology that is relevant to today’s students. When an educator takes the time to actively engage students they are making sure that the most learning possible takes place. Unit Plan: Digital Storytelling The use of digital story telling in the classroom is something that all educators should consider using as a teaching tool. It offers students a chance to express their knowledge and understanding of material in a way that is unlike any other form of learning in the classroom. Digital story telling provides students the opportunity to use different forms of technology and also enhance their writing and communication skills. Grade Level 8th grade Family and Consumer Science Description of Lesson Over the course of several lessons students have been studying how American people eat and what is making us one on the most obsess nations in the world. Students have also created a blog about this same topic. For the final part of this unit students will now create a digital story in the form of a public service announcement. Students will be asked to interview people about their eating habits and why they think we are a fat nation. Students must also incorporate the use of the food pyramid into their PSA. Students will be working in groups of three for their digital story. The groups will have” to write a script, develop a story board, locate images, create a digital story and share the final outcome with others” ((Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 68-69) Objective For students to create a digital story using a Public Service Announcement about healthy eating. Standards Standard 1: Personal Health and Fitness “Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health” (New York Teacher’s Desk Reference). NETS*T Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Outcomes For students to have created a digital story using technology. For students to have met the NETS-T standards. Steps of the Lesson 1. Students will be introduced to what digital story telling is. They will be shown a digital story that another class has created in the past. 2. Students will create a script of the PSA that each group will be making. “ Students need to clearly identify the purpose of their stories and the message they are trying to convey” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 68) 3. Students will make a storyboard of how they would like their PSA to go. “Storyboards should contain the narration, a description or sketch of the associated images, any text that may appear on the screen, and a note about any music around effects required” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 68) 4. Students will locate images that they would like their digital story to contain. 5. Students will now take all the pervious steps and create a digital story. “Using a variety of commonaly available software, student need to record their narrations, load the audio files and images into a moviemaking program…” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 69) 6. When students have completed making their digital story students will be showing it the Academic Showcase. Tools Students will be using the program Word and iMovie to make their digital story. Students will be able to use the program Inspiration to make their storyboard. Students will have access to a digital recording device. To showcase their story students will have access to a presentation station. Diverse Learners To meet the needs of diverse learner students will be able to use cue cards when making their PSA. Students will also have extended time to complete their script and storyboard. If needed students will be able to have several tutorials on how to use all of the programs. Creative Thinking To incorporate creative thinking in this lesson students will be asked to incorporate their own opinion on the questions that they are asking people for their PSA. Students will be asked to think outside of the box in order to be creative in their thoughts. Assessment and Management Students will be assessed on each step of the lesson by using a rubric. There will be a rubric for developing the script, making the storyboard, finding images, making the digital story. Students will also be assessed by meeting with the teacher on regular basis to check on the progress of each step on the lesson. Digital story telling is any exciting way for students to be actively engaged in a classroom project. It gives students a chance to express themselves in a way that is creative and fun. By incorporating digital storytelling I am insuring that students are learning and that they have the proper skills to enter the 21st world they live in. References Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. ISTE, Initials. (2008). The Iste national educational technology standards (nets•t) and performance indicators for teachers. Retrieved from iste@iste.org, www.iste.org. Content-Area Unit Plan Allison Fitzpatrick Walden University Marie Larcara EDUC-6713D-2 Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas August 6, 2010 Unit Plan Assignment: Problem-Based Learning Lesson As an educator it is my job to find new ways to actively engage my students in the learning process. This week I will be developing a Problem Based Learning unit. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a great tool for teachers and students to use. PBL allows for the students to be an active part of the learning process. It gives students the chance to make the content being taught something more then words on a paper. It facilitates cooperative learning among students and allows for each participant to take an active roll in what is being presented and learned. Students will be given a real world issue to collaboratively explore and solve using a higher order of thinking. Grade Level and Subject Area to be addressed 8th grade Food and Nutrition Class Objective For students to answer the question: “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?” Standards Standard 1: Personal Health and Fitness “Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health” (New York Teacher’s Desk Reference). NETS*T Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Problem Using the PBL approach students will answer the question, “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese people in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual, and what can be done to change this fact?” Steps of the Lesson Students will have viewed the films “Super Size Me” and “Food Inc.” After both films have been viewed students will be placed in PBL groups and asked to start exploring the above questions. Students will first start by brainstorming their thoughts as a group. Students will be using the program Inspiration to organize their thoughts and to create a concept map. Once the PBL groups have completed their concept map students will then move on to completing the WebQuest designed for this lesson. Once they have completed their WebQuest students will be asked to create a draft of problem they are trying to solve. Students will have the freedom to do this in anyway as long as they are somehow showing a solution and opinion to the problem presented. Student will then present their thoughts and ideas to the other groups so they are able to get feedback and make improvement. Students will then have the opportunity to refine their solution and their answer to the problem. When each of the above steps have been completed, each group will post their findings to a class Wiki. This is relevant for all students because one in three teenagers are overweight or obese. Each student will undoubtedly know someone who struggles with weight issues. Knowing this, and having to teach students about nutrition, I find that having students complete PBL lessons will leave students with a greater understanding Technology Students will be using many different types of technology when completing the PBL lesson. Students will be using the program Inspiration. Students will also be using the Internet to complete a WebQuest from this lesson. Students will have several options on a way to present the information they have found. They could create a PowerPoint, make a brochure or make a story board. They will be free to choose. The final way that technology will be used is for students to post their solutions and findings to a class Wiki page. Diverse Learners For students who may struggle greatly using technology, they will have the option to complete as much as they can on paper. Diverse Learners will also receive extended time to complete the given assignments and tasks. Assessment of Learning Students will be assessed by using a PBL rubric. Each part of the lesson will be contained on the rubric. There will be a section for the concept map, the WebQuest, the draft they made and finally the completion of the Wiki page. A portion of the rubric will also be how well each student worked with other members of their group. Using Problem Based Learning as a way to teach nutrition and healthy living gives students the control in learning. It allows for students to take an active approach in their learning. “The application of problem-based learning to more global health issues supports the development and demonstration of higher-order thinking skills” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer. p.319). The problem being looked at is one that all students can relate to. My hope in presenting this topic in a problem based way, is that I can show students that they must take an active approach and find out what they are actually eating and where it comes from and this will help them in the food choices they and their families make. Unit Plan Assignment: Online Collaboration Lesson The use of social networking tools in today’s classroom is an area that many educators are wary of using. As an educator I pride myself on using social networking tools as a way for my students to reach out to their peers. Using online collaboration teaches students teamwork and breaks all cultural barriers. The following lesson has students using social networking to help them develop answer the question given to them in the pervious lesson. Grade Level and Subject Area to be addressed 8th grade Food and Nutrition Class Objective For students to discuss the question: “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?” Standards Standard 1: Personal Health and Fitness “Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health” (New York Teacher’s Desk Reference). NETS*T Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Description of the Lesson During the previous week of class students were asked to find an answer to the question “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?” For this lesson students will be asked to take that question, make a blog and promote it using social networking tools. Steps of the Lesson 1. Students will create a blog using the website blogger.com 2. Students will start by posting the question “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?” 3. Students must write a minimum of a 150-word blog stating their opinion to the question. Students must also have 2 sources supporting their opinion. 4. Students will send the link to their blog to the teachers e-mail 5. Students must actively promote their blog. Students can use their facebook page, myspace page or text messaging. 6. Students need to respond to at least 5 of the blog posts that people have posted on their page. 7. For the end of the lesson students must post a final blog. They must state if their opinion has changed due to what their fellow bloggers have posted. 8. Students must send the link of their blog to the teachers e-mail. Use of Social Networking Students will be using blogging as their first form of social networking. Students will also be using their facebook and myspace pages to promote peers going to their blog site. Student may also use their cell phone to call or text people to promote their blog. Diverse Learners To customize this lesson for diverse learners students may type their blog posts using a Word document in order to make sure that spelling is correct. Students may also have extended time if needed in order to complete their blog. If needed students will have access to computer devices like adapted keyboards, mince or text-to-speech software. Creative Thinking To implement creative thinking in the lesson students will be asked to infer what they think the opinions will consist of on their blog. “Creative thinkers are able to examine ideas from various perspective, make inferences, and elaborate on their thinking” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 25). Students will engage in a class debate as a way of expressing their opinions and those posted on the blog they created. Assessment of Learning Students will be assessed using an analytic rubric An analytic rubric breaks the assessment down into component categories” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. P. 155). Students will be graded on components such as completing blog posts on time, spelling and grammar. Students will also be graded on promotion of the blog using social networking tools. Management of Activity Students will send the teacher the link to their blog on specified dates. Students will meet with the teacher to express any comments or concerns about their blog. Online collaboration and social networking is a tool that all teachers need to start incorporating into their classroom. It is way that brings creative thinking and also utilizes technology that is relevant to today’s students. When an educator takes the time to actively engage students they are making sure that the most learning possible takes place. Unit Plan: Digital Storytelling The use of digital story telling in the classroom is something that all educators should consider using as a teaching tool. It offers students a chance to express their knowledge and understanding of material in a way that is unlike any other form of learning in the classroom. Digital story telling provides students the opportunity to use different forms of technology and also enhance their writing and communication skills. Grade Level 8th grade Family and Consumer Science Description of Lesson Over the course of several lessons students have been studying how American people eat and what is making us one on the most obsess nations in the world. Students have also created a blog about this same topic. For the final part of this unit students will now create a digital story in the form of a public service announcement. Students will be asked to interview people about their eating habits and why they think we are a fat nation. Students must also incorporate the use of the food pyramid into their PSA. Students will be working in groups of three for their digital story. The groups will have” to write a script, develop a story board, locate images, create a digital story and share the final outcome with others” ((Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 68-69) Objective For students to create a digital story using a Public Service Announcement about healthy eating. Standards Standard 1: Personal Health and Fitness “Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health” (New York Teacher’s Desk Reference). NETS*T Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Outcomes For students to have created a digital story using technology. For students to have met the NETS-T standards. Steps of the Lesson 1. Students will be introduced to what digital story telling is. They will be shown a digital story that another class has created in the past. 2. Students will create a script of the PSA that each group will be making. “ Students need to clearly identify the purpose of their stories and the message they are trying to convey” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 68) 3. Students will make a storyboard of how they would like their PSA to go. “Storyboards should contain the narration, a description or sketch of the associated images, any text that may appear on the screen, and a note about any music around effects required” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 68) 4. Students will locate images that they would like their digital story to contain. 5. Students will now take all the pervious steps and create a digital story. “Using a variety of commonaly available software, student need to record their narrations, load the audio files and images into a moviemaking program…” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 69) 6. When students have completed making their digital story students will be showing it the Academic Showcase. Tools Students will be using the program Word and iMovie to make their digital story. Students will be able to use the program Inspiration to make their storyboard. Students will have access to a digital recording device. To showcase their story students will have access to a presentation station. Diverse Learners To meet the needs of diverse learner students will be able to use cue cards when making their PSA. Students will also have extended time to complete their script and storyboard. If needed students will be able to have several tutorials on how to use all of the programs. Creative Thinking To incorporate creative thinking in this lesson students will be asked to incorporate their own opinion on the questions that they are asking people for their PSA. Students will be asked to think outside of the box in order to be creative in their thoughts. Assessment and Management Students will be assessed on each step of the lesson by using a rubric. There will be a rubric for developing the script, making the storyboard, finding images, making the digital story. Students will also be assessed by meeting with the teacher on regular basis to check on the progress of each step on the lesson. Digital story telling is any exciting way for students to be actively engaged in a classroom project. It gives students a chance to express themselves in a way that is creative and fun. By incorporating digital storytelling I am insuring that students are learning and that they have the proper skills to enter the 21st world they live in. References Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. ISTE, Initials. (2008). The Iste national educational technology standards (nets•t) and performance indicators for teachers. Retrieved from iste@iste.org, www.iste.org.
Allison Fitzpatrick
Walden University
Marie Larcara
EDUC-6713D-2 Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas
August 6, 2010
Unit Plan Assignment: Problem-Based Learning Lesson
As an educator it is my job to find new ways to actively engage my students in the learning process. This week I will be developing a Problem Based Learning unit. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a great tool for teachers and students to use. PBL allows for the students to be an active part of the learning process. It gives students the chance to make the content being taught something more then words on a paper. It facilitates cooperative learning among students and allows for each participant to take an active roll in what is being presented and learned. Students will be given a real world issue to collaboratively explore and solve using a higher order of thinking.
Grade Level and Subject Area to be addressed
8th grade Food and Nutrition Class
Objective
For students to answer the question: “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?”
Standards
Standard 1: Personal Health and Fitness
“Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health” (New York Teacher’s Desk Reference).
NETS*T
Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.
Problem
Using the PBL approach students will answer the question, “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese people in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual, and what can be done to change this fact?”
Steps of the Lesson
Students will have viewed the films “Super Size Me” and “Food Inc.” After both films have been viewed students will be placed in PBL groups and asked to start exploring the above questions. Students will first start by brainstorming their thoughts as a group. Students will be using the program Inspiration to organize their thoughts and to create a concept map. Once the PBL groups have completed their concept map students will then move on to completing the WebQuest designed for this lesson. Once they have completed their WebQuest students will be asked to create a draft of problem they are trying to solve. Students will have the freedom to do this in anyway as long as they are somehow showing a solution and opinion to the problem presented. Student will then present their thoughts and ideas to the other groups so they are able to get feedback and make improvement. Students will then have the opportunity to refine their solution and their answer to the problem. When each of the above steps have been completed, each group will post their findings to a class Wiki.
This is relevant for all students because one in three teenagers are overweight or obese. Each student will undoubtedly know someone who struggles with weight issues. Knowing this, and having to teach students about nutrition, I find that having students complete PBL lessons will leave students with a greater understanding
Technology
Students will be using many different types of technology when completing the PBL lesson. Students will be using the program Inspiration. Students will also be using the Internet to complete a WebQuest from this lesson. Students will have several options on a way to present the information they have found. They could create a PowerPoint, make a brochure or make a story board. They will be free to choose. The final way that technology will be used is for students to post their solutions and findings to a class Wiki page.
Diverse Learners
For students who may struggle greatly using technology, they will have the option to complete as much as they can on paper. Diverse Learners will also receive extended time to complete the given assignments and tasks.
Assessment of Learning
Students will be assessed by using a PBL rubric. Each part of the lesson will be contained on the rubric. There will be a section for the concept map, the WebQuest, the draft they made and finally the completion of the Wiki page. A portion of the rubric will also be how well each student worked with other members of their group.
Using Problem Based Learning as a way to teach nutrition and healthy living gives students the control in learning. It allows for students to take an active approach in their learning. “The application of problem-based learning to more global health issues supports the development and demonstration of higher-order thinking skills” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer. p.319). The problem being looked at is one that all students can relate to. My hope in presenting this topic in a problem based way, is that I can show students that they must take an active approach and find out what they are actually eating and where it comes from and this will help them in the food choices they and their families make.
Unit Plan Assignment: Online Collaboration Lesson
The use of social networking tools in today’s classroom is an area that many educators are wary of using. As an educator I pride myself on using social networking tools as a way for my students to reach out to their peers. Using online collaboration teaches students teamwork and breaks all cultural barriers. The following lesson has students using social networking to help them develop answer the question given to them in the pervious lesson.
Grade Level and Subject Area to be addressed
8th grade Food and Nutrition Class
Objective
For students to discuss the question: “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?”
Standards
Standard 1: Personal Health and Fitness
“Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health” (New York Teacher’s Desk Reference).
NETS*T
Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.
Description of the Lesson
During the previous week of class students were asked to find an answer to the question “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?” For this lesson students will be asked to take that question, make a blog and promote it using social networking tools.
Steps of the Lesson
1. Students will create a blog using the website blogger.com
2. Students will start by posting the question “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?”
3. Students must write a minimum of a 150-word blog stating their opinion to the question. Students must also have 2 sources supporting their opinion.
4. Students will send the link to their blog to the teachers e-mail
5. Students must actively promote their blog. Students can use their facebook page, myspace page or text messaging.
6. Students need to respond to at least 5 of the blog posts that people have posted on their page.
7. For the end of the lesson students must post a final blog. They must state if their opinion has changed due to what their fellow bloggers have posted.
8. Students must send the link of their blog to the teachers e-mail.
Use of Social Networking
Students will be using blogging as their first form of social networking. Students will also be using their facebook and myspace pages to promote peers going to their blog site. Student may also use their cell phone to call or text people to promote their blog.
Diverse Learners
To customize this lesson for diverse learners students may type their blog posts using a Word document in order to make sure that spelling is correct. Students may also have extended time if needed in order to complete their blog. If needed students will have access to computer devices like adapted keyboards, mince or text-to-speech software.
Creative Thinking
To implement creative thinking in the lesson students will be asked to infer what they think the opinions will consist of on their blog. “Creative thinkers are able to examine ideas from various perspective, make inferences, and elaborate on their thinking” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 25). Students will engage in a class debate as a way of expressing their opinions and those posted on the blog they created.
Assessment of Learning
Students will be assessed using an analytic rubric An analytic rubric breaks the assessment down into component categories” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. P. 155). Students will be graded on components such as completing blog posts on time, spelling and grammar. Students will also be graded on promotion of the blog using social networking tools.
Management of Activity
Students will send the teacher the link to their blog on specified dates. Students will meet with the teacher to express any comments or concerns about their blog.
Online collaboration and social networking is a tool that all teachers need to start incorporating into their classroom. It is way that brings creative thinking and also utilizes technology that is relevant to today’s students. When an educator takes the time to actively engage students they are making sure that the most learning possible takes place.
Unit Plan: Digital Storytelling
The use of digital story telling in the classroom is something that all educators should consider using as a teaching tool. It offers students a chance to express their knowledge and understanding of material in a way that is unlike any other form of learning in the classroom. Digital story telling provides students the opportunity to use different forms of technology and also enhance their writing and communication skills.
Grade Level
8th grade Family and Consumer Science
Description of Lesson
Over the course of several lessons students have been studying how American people eat and what is making us one on the most obsess nations in the world. Students have also created a blog about this same topic. For the final part of this unit students will now create a digital story in the form of a public service announcement. Students will be asked to interview people about their eating habits and why they think we are a fat nation. Students must also incorporate the use of the food pyramid into their PSA. Students will be working in groups of three for their digital story. The groups will have” to write a script, develop a story board, locate images, create a digital story and share the final outcome with others” ((Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 68-69)
Objective
For students to create a digital story using a Public Service Announcement about healthy eating.
Standards
Standard 1: Personal Health and Fitness
“Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health” (New York Teacher’s Desk Reference).
NETS*T
Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.
Outcomes
For students to have created a digital story using technology. For students to have met the NETS-T standards.
Steps of the Lesson
1. Students will be introduced to what digital story telling is. They will be shown a digital story that another class has created in the past.
2. Students will create a script of the PSA that each group will be making. “ Students need to clearly identify the purpose of their stories and the message they are trying to convey” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 68)
3. Students will make a storyboard of how they would like their PSA to go. “Storyboards should contain the narration, a description or sketch of the associated images, any text that may appear on the screen, and a note about any music around effects required” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 68)
4. Students will locate images that they would like their digital story to contain.
5. Students will now take all the pervious steps and create a digital story. “Using a variety of commonaly available software, student need to record their narrations, load the audio files and images into a moviemaking program…” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 69)
6. When students have completed making their digital story students will be showing it the Academic Showcase.
Tools
Students will be using the program Word and iMovie to make their digital story. Students will be able to use the program Inspiration to make their storyboard. Students will have access to a digital recording device. To showcase their story students will have access to a presentation station.
Diverse Learners
To meet the needs of diverse learner students will be able to use cue cards when making their PSA. Students will also have extended time to complete their script and storyboard. If needed students will be able to have several tutorials on how to use all of the programs.
Creative Thinking
To incorporate creative thinking in this lesson students will be asked to incorporate their own opinion on the questions that they are asking people for their PSA. Students will be asked to think outside of the box in order to be creative in their thoughts.
Assessment and Management
Students will be assessed on each step of the lesson by using a rubric. There will be a rubric for developing the script, making the storyboard, finding images, making the digital story. Students will also be assessed by meeting with the teacher on regular basis to check on the progress of each step on the lesson.
Digital story telling is any exciting way for students to be actively engaged in a classroom project. It gives students a chance to express themselves in a way that is creative and fun. By incorporating digital storytelling I am insuring that students are learning and that they have the proper skills to enter the 21st world they live in.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful
Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom
ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
ISTE, Initials. (2008). The Iste national educational technology standards (nets•t) and
performance indicators for teachers. Retrieved from iste@iste.org, www.iste.org.
Content-Area Unit Plan
Allison Fitzpatrick
Walden University
Marie Larcara
EDUC-6713D-2 Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas
August 6, 2010
Unit Plan Assignment: Problem-Based Learning Lesson
As an educator it is my job to find new ways to actively engage my students in the learning process. This week I will be developing a Problem Based Learning unit. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a great tool for teachers and students to use. PBL allows for the students to be an active part of the learning process. It gives students the chance to make the content being taught something more then words on a paper. It facilitates cooperative learning among students and allows for each participant to take an active roll in what is being presented and learned. Students will be given a real world issue to collaboratively explore and solve using a higher order of thinking.
Grade Level and Subject Area to be addressed
8th grade Food and Nutrition Class
Objective
For students to answer the question: “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?”
Standards
Standard 1: Personal Health and Fitness
“Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health” (New York Teacher’s Desk Reference).
NETS*T
Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.
Problem
Using the PBL approach students will answer the question, “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese people in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual, and what can be done to change this fact?”
Steps of the Lesson
Students will have viewed the films “Super Size Me” and “Food Inc.” After both films have been viewed students will be placed in PBL groups and asked to start exploring the above questions. Students will first start by brainstorming their thoughts as a group. Students will be using the program Inspiration to organize their thoughts and to create a concept map. Once the PBL groups have completed their concept map students will then move on to completing the WebQuest designed for this lesson. Once they have completed their WebQuest students will be asked to create a draft of problem they are trying to solve. Students will have the freedom to do this in anyway as long as they are somehow showing a solution and opinion to the problem presented. Student will then present their thoughts and ideas to the other groups so they are able to get feedback and make improvement. Students will then have the opportunity to refine their solution and their answer to the problem. When each of the above steps have been completed, each group will post their findings to a class Wiki.
This is relevant for all students because one in three teenagers are overweight or obese. Each student will undoubtedly know someone who struggles with weight issues. Knowing this, and having to teach students about nutrition, I find that having students complete PBL lessons will leave students with a greater understanding
Technology
Students will be using many different types of technology when completing the PBL lesson. Students will be using the program Inspiration. Students will also be using the Internet to complete a WebQuest from this lesson. Students will have several options on a way to present the information they have found. They could create a PowerPoint, make a brochure or make a story board. They will be free to choose. The final way that technology will be used is for students to post their solutions and findings to a class Wiki page.
Diverse Learners
For students who may struggle greatly using technology, they will have the option to complete as much as they can on paper. Diverse Learners will also receive extended time to complete the given assignments and tasks.
Assessment of Learning
Students will be assessed by using a PBL rubric. Each part of the lesson will be contained on the rubric. There will be a section for the concept map, the WebQuest, the draft they made and finally the completion of the Wiki page. A portion of the rubric will also be how well each student worked with other members of their group.
Using Problem Based Learning as a way to teach nutrition and healthy living gives students the control in learning. It allows for students to take an active approach in their learning. “The application of problem-based learning to more global health issues supports the development and demonstration of higher-order thinking skills” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer. p.319). The problem being looked at is one that all students can relate to. My hope in presenting this topic in a problem based way, is that I can show students that they must take an active approach and find out what they are actually eating and where it comes from and this will help them in the food choices they and their families make.
Unit Plan Assignment: Online Collaboration Lesson
The use of social networking tools in today’s classroom is an area that many educators are wary of using. As an educator I pride myself on using social networking tools as a way for my students to reach out to their peers. Using online collaboration teaches students teamwork and breaks all cultural barriers. The following lesson has students using social networking to help them develop answer the question given to them in the pervious lesson.
Grade Level and Subject Area to be addressed
8th grade Food and Nutrition Class
Objective
For students to discuss the question: “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?”
Standards
Standard 1: Personal Health and Fitness
“Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health” (New York Teacher’s Desk Reference).
NETS*T
Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.
Description of the Lesson
During the previous week of class students were asked to find an answer to the question “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?” For this lesson students will be asked to take that question, make a blog and promote it using social networking tools.
Steps of the Lesson
1. Students will create a blog using the website blogger.com
2. Students will start by posting the question “Whose fault is it that Americans are one of the most obese populations in the world? Is the food industry to blame or the individual for the choices they make?”
3. Students must write a minimum of a 150-word blog stating their opinion to the question. Students must also have 2 sources supporting their opinion.
4. Students will send the link to their blog to the teachers e-mail
5. Students must actively promote their blog. Students can use their facebook page, myspace page or text messaging.
6. Students need to respond to at least 5 of the blog posts that people have posted on their page.
7. For the end of the lesson students must post a final blog. They must state if their opinion has changed due to what their fellow bloggers have posted.
8. Students must send the link of their blog to the teachers e-mail.
Use of Social Networking
Students will be using blogging as their first form of social networking. Students will also be using their facebook and myspace pages to promote peers going to their blog site. Student may also use their cell phone to call or text people to promote their blog.
Diverse Learners
To customize this lesson for diverse learners students may type their blog posts using a Word document in order to make sure that spelling is correct. Students may also have extended time if needed in order to complete their blog. If needed students will have access to computer devices like adapted keyboards, mince or text-to-speech software.
Creative Thinking
To implement creative thinking in the lesson students will be asked to infer what they think the opinions will consist of on their blog. “Creative thinkers are able to examine ideas from various perspective, make inferences, and elaborate on their thinking” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 25). Students will engage in a class debate as a way of expressing their opinions and those posted on the blog they created.
Assessment of Learning
Students will be assessed using an analytic rubric An analytic rubric breaks the assessment down into component categories” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. P. 155). Students will be graded on components such as completing blog posts on time, spelling and grammar. Students will also be graded on promotion of the blog using social networking tools.
Management of Activity
Students will send the teacher the link to their blog on specified dates. Students will meet with the teacher to express any comments or concerns about their blog.
Online collaboration and social networking is a tool that all teachers need to start incorporating into their classroom. It is way that brings creative thinking and also utilizes technology that is relevant to today’s students. When an educator takes the time to actively engage students they are making sure that the most learning possible takes place.
Unit Plan: Digital Storytelling
The use of digital story telling in the classroom is something that all educators should consider using as a teaching tool. It offers students a chance to express their knowledge and understanding of material in a way that is unlike any other form of learning in the classroom. Digital story telling provides students the opportunity to use different forms of technology and also enhance their writing and communication skills.
Grade Level
8th grade Family and Consumer Science
Description of Lesson
Over the course of several lessons students have been studying how American people eat and what is making us one on the most obsess nations in the world. Students have also created a blog about this same topic. For the final part of this unit students will now create a digital story in the form of a public service announcement. Students will be asked to interview people about their eating habits and why they think we are a fat nation. Students must also incorporate the use of the food pyramid into their PSA. Students will be working in groups of three for their digital story. The groups will have” to write a script, develop a story board, locate images, create a digital story and share the final outcome with others” ((Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 68-69)
Objective
For students to create a digital story using a Public Service Announcement about healthy eating.
Standards
Standard 1: Personal Health and Fitness
“Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health” (New York Teacher’s Desk Reference).
NETS*T
Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.
Outcomes
For students to have created a digital story using technology. For students to have met the NETS-T standards.
Steps of the Lesson
1. Students will be introduced to what digital story telling is. They will be shown a digital story that another class has created in the past.
2. Students will create a script of the PSA that each group will be making. “ Students need to clearly identify the purpose of their stories and the message they are trying to convey” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 68)
3. Students will make a storyboard of how they would like their PSA to go. “Storyboards should contain the narration, a description or sketch of the associated images, any text that may appear on the screen, and a note about any music around effects required” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 68)
4. Students will locate images that they would like their digital story to contain.
5. Students will now take all the pervious steps and create a digital story. “Using a variety of commonaly available software, student need to record their narrations, load the audio files and images into a moviemaking program…” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer 2009. p. 69)
6. When students have completed making their digital story students will be showing it the Academic Showcase.
Tools
Students will be using the program Word and iMovie to make their digital story. Students will be able to use the program Inspiration to make their storyboard. Students will have access to a digital recording device. To showcase their story students will have access to a presentation station.
Diverse Learners
To meet the needs of diverse learner students will be able to use cue cards when making their PSA. Students will also have extended time to complete their script and storyboard. If needed students will be able to have several tutorials on how to use all of the programs.
Creative Thinking
To incorporate creative thinking in this lesson students will be asked to incorporate their own opinion on the questions that they are asking people for their PSA. Students will be asked to think outside of the box in order to be creative in their thoughts.
Assessment and Management
Students will be assessed on each step of the lesson by using a rubric. There will be a rubric for developing the script, making the storyboard, finding images, making the digital story. Students will also be assessed by meeting with the teacher on regular basis to check on the progress of each step on the lesson.
Digital story telling is any exciting way for students to be actively engaged in a classroom project. It gives students a chance to express themselves in a way that is creative and fun. By incorporating digital storytelling I am insuring that students are learning and that they have the proper skills to enter the 21st world they live in.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful
Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom
ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
ISTE, Initials. (2008). The Iste national educational technology standards (nets•t) and
performance indicators for teachers. Retrieved from iste@iste.org, www.iste.org.